Tasting Vanilla Waffles
by RayOfShine
Summary: Another day, another date. But it all doesn't matter to Kuroko, what matters is who he spends it with, be it his beloved basketball team or the one he treasures the most above all. Happy birthday Kagami !


**Sorry for the late update this time (＞****_＜****) I just finished editing. Anyway KagaKuro this time yayayay**

**Also, Happy Birthday to Kagami Taiga, our dear Bakagami~! ヽ****(∀ )ノ **

**This fic is also for my friend's birthday although its a day or so early. Happy birthday and enjoy to our kirbysuperstar jenpenchen~! (─‿‿─) **

**Finally, as disclaimer: Fujimaki-sensei's awesome work does not belong to me**

**Couples:**_Main: KagaKuro - Side: MidoTaka, AoKise, AkaFuri_

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Kuroko Tetsuya stretched his arms above his head, letting out a yawn riddled with sleep. He shifted his legs underneath his blanket slightly with the thought of getting up in mind, but a small whine of protest made him cease movement.

"Good morning, Nigou," he murmured softly to the sleeping puppy curled up at the foot of his bed.

The black and white dog twitched at his name, one ear flicking in recognition then uncurling and yawning identically to the blue-eyed boy. Awake now, Tetsuya Nigou sprang to his feet and leapt to the floor, trotting after Kuroko to the bathroom. Seirin's passing expert reached down to scratch the dog behind the ears, combing down some flyaway hairs, reminding himself of his own that he had to tend to. In front of the mirror, Kuroko ran his hands through soft strands of blue hair to rid himself of the bedhead that Kagami always called 'too ridiculous'.

Thinking of the rough-spoken red-haired teen brought a smile to Kuroko's lips unconsciously. It was something that had been happening frequently recently. His thoughts were full of Seirin's ace, the time they spent together almost everyday and what they did in those times. He fondly recalled the many times Kagami would surprisingly very shyly hold his hand or sneak him a kiss during a date. Today was no exception and Kuroko knew by the end of the day he would have more memories to add to his rapidly growing collection.

Soon enough, Kuroko finally succeeded in smoothing his bangs down, knowing that later they would be a mess again. His toothbrush sat in its cup from last night beside the sink which the blue-eyed boy swiftly grabbed and set to the routine job of waking himself up, including taking a quick morning shower.

A quick sharp yip responded to the gentle knock on Kuroko's bedroom door, making the boy shuffle quickly out of the bathroom carrying his pyjamas to put away.

"Tetsuya! Breakfast is ready! Are you going out today?" his mother asked through the open doorframe.

"Thank you mum. Yes, I'm going out with Kagami-kun today," Kuroko replied, slipping on a grey jacket over his stripped shirt.

"Okay then, come down when you're ready. Where are you going?" she proceeded down the stairs ahead of her son.

"Tokyo Tower." Following his mother, Kuroko emerged from his room and swiftly descended the staircase, Nigou's light paw steps followed him softly as Seirin's mascot scrambled down slippery steps.

"Is that so? I remember the first time I went to Tokyo Tower with your father~ Speaking of which, I heard they opened a new dessert store inside and the waffles are quite delicious. You and Kagami-kun should give it a try!" She reminisced a bit about her youthful days, reminding herself of the recent changes to the iconic landmark.

"I will ask Kagami-kun about visiting then. Good morning dad, is grandma still asleep?" Kuroko greeted his dad sitting by the table reading the paper and sipping his coffee early in the morning. Pulling out his chair, the blue-haired teen sat down to his steaming breakfast and dug in after murmuring a silent 'let's eat'. His mother placed a gentle hand on his head as she passed by to fill a bowl of food on the floor for Nigou, also giving him a fond ruffle to which he wagged his tail in joyful appreciation.

"Yeah, she'll be up later," Kuroko's dad replied, gesturing to the closed bedroom door.

"Thank you for the meal," Kuroko balanced the various sized dishes as he made his way to the kitchen, intending to submerge them in to the soapy water for washing later. No sooner had he submerged the dinnerware when the doorbell buzzed through the house. Pulling his hands out and drying them, Kuroko made his way to open the door, knowing all too well just who was waiting on the other side.

"Yo, Kuroko. Ready to go?" Kagami Taiga peered in through the door to follow up with a greeting to the shorter boy's parents, familiar enough with the adults to not have to be too formal.

The adults waved back, already used to the red-haired teen coming around often to pick up their son for any school or leisure related activity.

"Kagami-kun, you're on time today," Kuroko stated bluntly, letting the taller boy in while he went to collect his wallet, phone and keys.

"Hey! I'm not always late! And it's only by a few minutes when I am!" Kagami complained to his boyfriend's retreating back.

"Is that really so? I believe Kagami-kun's time management is what causes our tripled training on most weeks," Kuroko made a jab at Kagami again as he made his way back.

Kagami spluttered and went red, having nothing to say in return.

"I'll be back later," Kuroko turned and said bye to his parents, glancing down at Nigou who was staying at home for the day as well. "Be good for today Nigou," he instructed the puppy. Nigou yipped as if he understood, watching on with intelligent blue eyes as the light and shadow closed the door and left the house.

Once the door was closed, Kagami spared no hesitation to swoop down and give the blue-haired teen a quick peck on the lips. "Alright, let's go," he added at the end, walking side by side together down to the station.

"Kagami-kun beat me to it again," Kuroko sighed in mock defeat. Kagami was always the first to greet him in the morning with a kiss.

"Maybe you're just slow and not aggressive enough to steal the first," Kagami smirked and cast an eye down to the slightly pouting lips, pushing down the urge to kiss them again - this time for longer.

"So Kagami-kun wants me to be more aggressive?" Kuroko calmly came to the conclusion, but the way he put it made it obvious to what he really meant.

"WHA- Not like that!" Kagami went red again, his mouth hanging wide in shock. Sometimes Kuroko's facade was too much for him to handle. The boy could say something incredibly dirty and yet still play the innocent card to which many people believed.

"I'll keep that in mind from now on," Kuroko ignored the red-haired ace and sped up his pace, leaving the taller behind.

A flustered Kagami and completely straight-faced Kuroko reached the platform to wait for their train. As usual, they were pushed by the flow of the crowd into the depths of the carriage. Unfortunately this time they wound up in a part where Kuroko was unable to find a handgrip. Kagami being taller, stood out above the other average height passengers and easily secured a place to stand. His lack of presence again playing the enemy to himself, Kuroko was pushed by the shuffling passengers away from Kagami despite trying to gain attention by requesting that people stop pushing so he could get back to his light.

Kagami sighed at the futile attempts of the shorter teen, so when the crowd surged again due to the sudden jerking movement of a sharp turn, took the opportunity to secure a free arm around a slim waist, holding Kuroko down in a cage of his embrace.

"Thank you Kagami-kun," Kuroko tilted his head up and tip-toed to press a light kiss to the tanned teen's mouth.

"Just hold on tight," Kagami stammered ever so slightly.

Kuroko cooperated and wound two skinny arms around Kagami's neck, completely snuggling into the embrace, no one noticed him anyway other than Kagami so he could be as affectionate as he wanted. They stayed like that the whole trip, Kuroko was able to feel the rapid beating of the taller male's heart due to the closeness of their bodies. He smiled inwardly to himself, knowing that his heart was probably beating at a similar rate if not faster due to being in the presence of Kagami.

The next stop is XXXX, the doors will open on the left. Repeating, the next stop is XXXX, the doors will open on the left. The usual train announcement echoed through every carriage notifying all who were riding the train of the next location to remind them if they should alight. Kagami slowly made his way to the doors on the left, his bigger body build cutting a path through standing passengers and opening a way for Kuroko who walked behind him.

Morning wind welcomed Seirin's first year duo as they ascended the slight incline to the foot of the tower. Kuroko quietly watched his partner from the corner of his eye, imprinting each familiar feature into his brain. His observational skills were beyond exceptional for a regular human being - a side skill to his misdirection, this made memorising each of Kagami's expressions (no matter how small in difference) easier.

"Mum told me a new dessert store opened up inside the tower recently, should we go try it?" Kuroko recalled the conversation with his mum earlier.

"Hm? Sure" Kagami easily agreed, he was up for any food break and a new store was as good as any other reason.

They walked past a group of kids playing in the nearby park shouting in joy rather loudly and Kuroko couldn't help but overhear some of their conversation. His attention was spiked when the topic hit something or more like someone of interest.

"Hey, did you see that guy pass by? The one with the basketball?"

"Yeah! He did the coolest tricks! He was tall too! And really tan"

"Man I wanna be like him!"

The blue-haired teen listened and let out a small chuckle of amusement. It had to be that guy. Kuroko didn't know anyone else who was good at basketball, tall and incredibly tan. He was glad honestly, that he would be able to see his ex light again since the Winter Cup now that things between them had returned back to what could be called relatively normal.

"What's so amusing?" Kagami asked at the side, not oblivious to his boyfriend's change of behaviour.

"Nothing much, just that I think we might meet someone we know here," Kuroko replied, tearing his gaze away from the children and looking Kagami in the eye.

The glass doors leading into the shopping complex loomed in front of the couple from the pathway leading to the entrance. Kuroko on instinct slowed his pace to match Kagami's, matching his stride with the taller teen. Kagami threw a questioning glance over his shoulder, wondering about the sudden slack in speed.

"They won't open," Kuroko muttered silently, his head lowered.

"Huh?" Kagami straining to hear, leaned down towards the passing expert, hoping to catch whatever was being said.

"The doors don't open when I stand there," the blue-haired teen stated again, his face expressionless to most except to Kagami who knew deep down he was feeling embarrassed and on any other person would be breaking out with a red face.

Regular people would probably have pitied Kuroko for his lack of presence, but of course this was Kagami and there was only one thing he would do in that situation true to his character. Kagami burst out laughing, he clutched his stomach, peels of laughter erupting from his body making it hard to stand straight. Kuroko's lips turned into a small pout but that didn't last long as he thought of away for revenge. Quick and hard, Seirin's no. 11 jabbed his flattened hand into the ribs of the boy beside him, making the taller double over in pain and not laughter.

"Ouch! Man that hurt! Kuroko!" Kagami complained as he cringed on the floor.

"I believe Kagami-kun deserved that one," Kuroko's reply wasn't as cold as it should have been, bordering on the edge of sulking rather than actually being mad.

"Ah, my bad. Sorry Kuroko," Kagami apologised, maybe laughing out loud wasn't the most appropriate response this time.

Starting towards the automatic doors, Kagami's presence alerted them to open as he passed through with Kuroko in tow. Checking the time revealed that the day still lay ahead of them, giving them time to do whatever they wanted which was namely just to hang out. Kuroko's calm gaze swept past the various gift stores they passed, his mind wondering if they should bring back a present for his mum. Reaching the part of the floor dedicated to souvenir foods, Kuroko heard a strange grumbling sound from a certain stomach next to him. Kagami upon hearing his stomach growl in hunger despite a huge breakfast flushed a bright red.

"Shall we go to the dessert shop?" Kuroko suggested, tugging on Kagami's sleeve to turn him around.

Kagami was still red as they rounded the corner and backtracked to the path leading back to the front where the new store was.

"Kuroko, I'll be right back. Toilet." Kagami halted their walk quickly as the hallway leading to the bathrooms passed his line of sight.

"I'll wait over there then," Kuroko pointed to an empty corner next to two stalls for fortune telling and palm reading.

Quietly, the teal-haired boy made his way to the corner, leaning against the cool wall while he waited for his boyfriend to come back out.

"My my, what an adorable couple you two make," the gentle compliment shocked Kuroko who was sure no one would notice him standing by himself.

"Eh? Um, thank you," Seirin's regular wasn't sure how to respond, inclining his head slightly in thanks while uttering the shaky reply. His eyes met the warm eyes of an old woman standing at her shopfront, hands held behind her back. Line of age bordered her eyes as she smiled at the boy in front of her.

"Don't think that I don't notice young man, seeing many a couple here for dates gives you experience in noticing things," she chuckled beginning to turn back to her store, "Enjoy your day now the two of you."

"Ah, same to you," Kuroko once again bowed his head in politeness to the older woman. Alone once more, Kuroko couldn't help but think of him and Kagami as the old woman had pointed out, were they really obvious about it? He didn't think so as many of their own teammates hadn't picked up on it yet, he guessed it all came down to the years and experience as she had said all along then. Lost in this thoughts, the blue-haired teen almost missed the unmistakeable features of the tanned teen walking closer also seemingly lost in thought.

"Aomine-kun," Kuroko suddenly appeared beside his ex-light finding amusement in the jolt of surprise that passed through Touou's ace player.

Aomine Daiki startled but quickly squashed his shocked expression and hoping the shorter male beside him didn't see it. Nevertheless, Kuroko's sharp observational skills caught it all, but he decided to keep that to himself to save some of the tanned male's pride.

"It's nice to see you again Aomine-kun. Are you here alone today?" Kuroko asked, knowing that the boy had no reason to come here at all so there had to be something or someone that made him come to the tower.

Aomine gruffly answered with a vague 'sort of' and 'meeting someone' much to Kuroko's displeasure. Despite that though, Kuroko already knew who the blue-haired ace was meeting, no question about it.

"Is it Kise-kun?" Kuroko asked and waited to see Aomine's reaction.

The taller boy gawked and seemed to be shocked beyond words. Bull's eye.

Kuroko's gaze remained impassive and collected as ever while he stated his reasoning "Aomine-kum, I've known you for a very long time and so I think by now I know when you're meeting your boyfriend," he bluntly stated, driving an arrow right through Aomine. He was pretty sure Aomine had already zoned out during his explanation due to shock making the teal-haired boy sigh. His ex-light was very similar to Kagami in the way that both of them were simply too easy to read.

"Shut it Tetsu," Aomine was genuinely embarrassed, not that he'd show it anyway. "Are you here alone? Bakagami isn't with you?"

Kuroko looked up upon the presence of the mentioned teen right then and there. Seirin's ace appeared just at the right moment. "Right here Ahomine," Kagami returned the previous jab at his name. Insults and sparks flew between the two before being broken up by Kuroko, reminding Kagami of their previous goal of the new dessert store.

"Then enjoy your day with Kise-kun," Kuroko waved goodbye to the GoM's ace and taking Kagami by the hand pulled his further away.

"Seeya Ahomine!" Kagami didn't even try to resist the last insult much to Kuroko's amusement.

The shopfront was decorated with bright lights and colourful features showing various cute mascots to draw in customers. The sweet smell of sugar and syrups hung heavily in the air as well as the sound of clinking dish ware and cups. Spotting an empty booth in the back corner, Kuroko tugged Kagami in the direction of the more private area. They settled down at the table and took a look at the menu which offered a vast variety of sweets. Kagami shivered at the amounts of sugar in each one, questioning how some people could stomach so much sugar in one go.

"Kagami-kun doesn't like sweet things very much, so how about the green tea flavoured ice-cream and waffles?" Kuroko suggested, all too knowing of his boyfriend's taste sense.

"Ah that sounds alright," Kagami looked it up under his own menu. It certainly didn't look too sweet.

"I'll have the vanilla and chocolate then," Kuroko decided, calling the waitress over and placing their orders.  
As the girl left to place the order with the kitchen, someone else caught the eye of Seirin's passing expert. Kagami who had his back to the shopfront didn't notice anyone walking in until Kuroko murmured the name under his breath. "Midorima-kun and Takao-kun?"

"Huh? That Midorima?" Kagami couldn't believe his ears, what were the odds of meeting two of the Generation of Miracles here in one day. Swivelling around in his seat, the red-haired teen confirmed that it was indeed the ace shooter of Shuutoku and their hawk-eyed point guard. "Is it a date or something?" Kagami asked.

"I'm glad that Kagami-kun is quite perceptive as well," Kuroko fingered the rim of his glass of water, "I don't think we should disturb them."

"I wouldn't want to anyway. That guy actually looks like he's having fun around Takao." Kagami turned back around from the other couple, tuning his attention back to Kuroko just as plates of beautifully presented waffles found their way onto the table.

"One green tea waffle set and one vanilla chocolate waffle set, thank you for waiting," the same waitress from before confirmed the food was correct before excusing herself to tend to another table.

Kagami's growling stomach made him start fast in comparison to Kuroko who ate at his usual collected pace.

"Kagami-kun here, ahh," Kagami looked up to the voice, seeing the offered sample on the fork held in front of him.

"Thanks Kuroko," Kagami blushed a bit at having his boyfriend feed him but accepted anyway, taking a bite of the vanilla waffle coated in chocolate sauce. It didn't taste bad, a little sweet, but he guessed that was what vanilla always tasted like to Kuroko who loved vanilla shakes. Kuroko had resumed to eating his own waffles, a gentle happy look on his face when each piece of the dessert passed through his soft lips. A thought came to Kagami's mind as he watched those tempting lips.

Lifting his hand that rested on the table, he hooked a finger under Kuroko's chin, bringing blue eyes to look at him questioningly. Leaning across the table, Kagami connected his lips to the pink lips of the blue-haired teen, sparing no time in opening them and introducing his tongue into the other's mouth. Kuroko blushed as the kiss suddenly intensified, allowing him to taste the green tea in the waffles Kagami had just eaten. Similarly, Kagami savoured the taste of vanilla and chocolate on Kuroko's tongue, entirely different from when he was just fed the food. The combination was new and tasted better than before which made Kagami want to go further had they not been in public. Kuroko softly whined in displeasure when the kiss was broken off but knew they had to. Quickly before they pulled apart completely, the shorter boy stole one more quick kiss off his boyfriend, settling down in his seat again after, face flushed from the short make out session.

"The waffles taste better that way," Kagami slyly grinned at Kuroko which made the usual expression on Kuroko's face change into the rare embarrassed smile.

"Kagami-kun is really crafty," he came to the conclusion.

After that kiss, the duo finished eating in silence. No one had noticed what had happened fortunately due to the corner and position they sat in, but continuing on may have lead to a different conclusion. The cutlery was laid down for the final time, the screeching of metal chairs on tiles as Seirin's duo left their seats to pay for the food.

"My treat this time," Kagami said, telling Kuroko to wait outside while he finished paying.

Kuroko took that chance to go greet the couple inside the store, seemingly as one of the two had already noticed his presence due to the hawks eye. The teal-haired boy couldn't help but overhear Midorima and Takao's conversation as he made his way to their table. Takao was offering a piece of his dessert to the green-haired teen who was refusing it outright making the point guard pout a bit before ending up just teasing his partner.

"You're missing out you know Shin-chan~" Takao continued teasing, happily munching on his sweet treat.

Midorima appeared as if he was going to spit out another short reply about cavities or something when Kuroko decided to intervene. "Takao-kun is right, you're missing out Midorima-kun," Kuroko confirmed the raven-haired teen's previous statement as well as scaring the living daylights out of the shooter for appearing suddenly.

"KUROKO! Don't just appear like that!" Midorima bellowed out as he stood from his chair and pointed an accusing finger at his former teammate.

"I've been here the whole time," Kuroko sighed while pointing to his and Kagami's table. "Takao-kun noticed us there."

"Haha sorry I didn't tell you Shin-chan," Takao smiled in amusement, swinging his fork back and forth. "Ah! Kagami!" he waved out to the other member of Seirin's regular lineup.

"Oi! Kuroko! We gotta go! Coach is holding a team meeting at Hyuuga-senpai's place," the teen approached the table calling to his shadow while giving a wave in return to Takao.

"Kagami," Midorima simply stated.

"Oh Midorima… yo… I guess," the red-head greeted in a choppy voice as he passed on his way out.

In response to Kagami's words earlier, Kuroko pulled out his phone from his pocket. Just as Kagami said, a new message was displayed on the small screen, the sender being their coach Aida Riko. Not far behind Kagami, Kuroko farewelled the Shuutoku duo, running out to meet Kagami.

"Let's go, Coach will murder us if we're late," Kagami started to pull towards the entrance of Tokyo Tower but stopped almost immediately as his eyes landed on Kuroko's face. Reaching down, the taller teen wiped a smudge of chocolate cream off the other boy's face, his own tongue licking the cream off his finger.

Kuroko looked on with innocent wide eyes, having no idea what was on his face. The look made Kagami stutter a bit as he explained before grabbing his boyfriend's hand and dragged both of them outside, leaving one gaping shooting guard from Shuutoku.

The meeting was to be held at 11 and as it was already 10:45, the first year duo ran as fast as they could down to the station. Despite their efforts, the previous train had already left and the next one would give them only a short amount of time to sprint to their captain's house. As soon as the doors opened, Kuroko and Kagami broke into the fastest sprint they could down the path, thanking all the way that it wasn't ridiculously far from the station. Slamming his foot down onto the front step of Hyuuga's house, Kagami jabbed the doorbell button. The door was flung open almost on command as the comically teary-eyed captain greeted his juniors.

"Kuroko, Kagami! Just in time! We thought both of you would get triple training for real," Hyuuga wiped the tears away from his eyes, genuinely showing concern for Kagami and Kuroko.

Kuroko immediately pinned the blame of Kagami who in retaliation roughly knuckled Kuroko's head in playful banter as they excused themselves for entering and were lead to where the rest of the team had assembled. Finding a place among the floor of Hyuuga's living room, the team settled down as Riko went about with the meeting. Kagami zoned out at some times but got the general information they were told. Kuroko or Coach would keep reminding all of them anyway. So basically it was for the combined Christmas Party to which Seirin celebrated in yells of joy, but the change was how it was being celebrated this year. Riko continued with the new situation where the party would be joint with the schools that each had a member of the Generation of Miracles - Kaijou, Touou, Shuutoku, Yosen and Rakuzan.

Kagami startled that Rakuzan of all schools had agreed to the party; their captain wasn't one of the most agreeable people in the world he knew that as a fact. What shocked him even more was the reaction Furihata next to him gave when Rakuzan was mentioned. The mouse-haired boy almost looked overjoyed for some odd reason and it made Kagami curious as to how the boy suddenly had a fondness to Akashi Seijuurou's team.

The whole team came to an understanding of the party as soon as Riko was done, each one actually looking forward to the party as it was a change from previous years, but then again this whole year had been different with the intense matches between Seirin and the Generation of Miracles. With that the meeting was over but no one really wanted to go. Much to Hyuuga's annoyance that his house was being overrun by his team, all of Seirin stayed and hung out there anyway.

Kuroko shuffled closer to Kagami, leaning his head on the broad shoulder as he watched his teammates and friends flounder around annoying their host. The red-haired teen joined their hands on the floor, intertwining their fingers. He wanted to pull the smaller boy into his lap right there but pushed dow the urge due to the presence of all their senpai and classmates.  
"Are you happy? Getting to spend Christmas with your old teammates as well?" Kagami whispered into Kuroko's ear.

"Hmm it will certainly be interesting this year due to the certain….developments that have changed us, but yes, it certainly makes me feel happy to spend another Christmas with them," Kuroko mused as he gave Kagami the answer he felt deep down in his heart.

However, Kuroko wasn't done yet, "Another thing that makes me even happier this Christmas is being able to spend Christmas with Kagami-kun this year," Kuroko turned around and quickly gave his light a kiss.

Kiyoshi who was sitting on the couch next to the standing (and yelling) Hyuuga caught the small gesture of affection and couldn't help but smile. Young love.

"What are you smiling like an idiot for?" Hyuuga slapped him on the head having rid himself of Kawahara and Fukuda asking ridiculous questions about any topic in the world.

"Nothing~ Hey everyone," he grabbed the team's attention by clapping his hands together, "Since we're all together right now, wouldn't it be fun to go out for lunch?" Kiyoshi brightly suggested.

The quiet attention broke into loud cheers of 'lunch' and of course 'meat' as feet thudded to the door, eager to get any delicious food. Kagami pulled Kuroko to his feet, following the line of players outside also excited for food despite having just ate a little while ago. The sprint to the house had made him feel hungry anyway.

"Steak! Steak! Steak!" Koga cheered as he slipped on his shoes next to the silent as usual Mitobe.

"Are you an idiot? We're not that rich!" Hyuuga snapped, giving the bubbly boy a chop on the head to snap some sense into him.

"Then, Mitobe? What do you want to eat?" he asked their 2nd year center player.

All of Seirin froze in motion, anticipating if Mitobe would talk this time. Feeling the pressure, Mitobe trembled slightly, raising his hand to gesture something that the rest of the team stared blankly at.

"Hm? Anything? That's not a real answer geez!" Koga cried out, latching onto Mitobe and taking him outside of the house, unaware to the rest of Seirin staring in shocked silence.

"He understood completely…." Izuki dropped the statement on everyone's minds.

Hyuuga locked up the house, joining Kiyoshi at the front while a surprisingly quiet Furihata dropped back to join Fukuda and Kawahara. Their destination was the regular okonomiyaki store. Pedestrians spared some notice to the large group making their way to one common location but the store owner smiled upon their entrance, ushering them to their usual tables.

Playful banter broke out among the 1st years over what to order and to not let Kagami order, the 2nd years jumping in to help out but not making it any better. The same noisiness as usual filled the atmosphere as Kuroko watched the team he had grown to love from beside Kagami. Teal-coloured eyes wandered over each member, thinking over how it was almost one whole year since he had met the amazing Seirin basketball club. Last of all, Kuroko's eyes lingered on Kagami, his light, his constant support and right now, the person he loved and treasured the most.

Kagami noticed the sudden gaze on him and cast a questioning look over to Kuroko. In response, the blue-haired teen shook his head not wanting to concern his boyfriend.

"Hey Furi, what's wrong" Kagami asked after noticing Kuroko's response and turning his attention to his friends.

"Huh? Nothing… I'm okay," Furihata seemed a bit down, something wasn't right.

Despite the noise and carrying on, Seirin left the okomiyaki store in record time, everyone going their own ways to only see each other again the next day at morning practise.

"So where are you gonna go now?" Kawahara spoke up.

"There's a nearby streetball court, you wanna go?" Fukuda asked, pointing in the general direction of the park.

"Streetball? Kuroko, you wanna?" Kagami's eyes lit up at the mention.

"It sounds like a fun idea," Kuroko agreed, "What about you Furihata-kun?"

Furihata at that moment didn't look any better than when he had been in the shop, his complexion was quite pale and his replies didn't seem to have any spirit. Kuroko gave Kagami a worried glance, maybe their friend wasn't doing so good.

"Nah, I'm going to go home, see you tomorrow okay?" Furihata shook his head, preparing to leave.

"Hey Furi, seriously are you okay?" Kagami grabbed his shoulder, spinning the brown-haired teen around.

"Hm? Yeah, I'm totally fine. Enjoy the streetball!" Furihata's smile was forced and Kuroko knew it.

Before anyone could say anything, Furihata had left, on his way to the train station already. Fukuda and Kawahara were stunned, Furihata had never turned down a chance for a game before.

"Maybe we should follow him, make sure he's okay you know?" Kawahara suggested. "Ah but Fukuda and I live around here, we don't need to catch the train."

"Kagami-kun and I need to go to the train station, we'll check up on Furihata-kun," Kuroko spoke up.

"Really? Okay we'll leave it up to you guys, thanks Kagami, Kuroko. Tell us if anything's wrong," the other first years said, bidding goodbye to the light and shadow duo.

"Oh shit, he walks fast despite everything. Kuroko, let's go!" Kagami glanced over to where Furihata's figure had already disappeared.

Taking Kuroko by the hand, Kagami set a brisk pace for the train station, hoping to catch a glimpse of their first year point guard along the way. However, they never came across the brown-haired boy all the way to the station and had no choice but to catch their own train. On their train, Kuroko once again in Kagami's arms, the blue-haired teen's phone buzzed to tell him of a call. Reaching down into his pocket, Kuroko pulled out the device and flicked it open. Kagami raised an eyebrow in curiosity, as his boyfriend answered the call.

"Akashi-kun? What's wrong?"

The name made Kagami's eyebrows rise even higher. The captain of Rakuzan? What could he want?

"Furihata-kun? He left sometime ago and we haven't seen him since. He said he was heading back home. I'll try calling him okay?" Kuroko had a million questions swimming in his mind, but right now didn't seem like the time to ask. Hanging up the phone, Kuroko scrolled through his contacts, in hope to find the number of a certain Seirin point guard.

"Kuroko, what's wrong with Furihata?" Kagami asked, gently squeezing the smaller's waist to gain his attention.

"Akashi-kun is looking for him right now. He said Furihata-kun didn't seem very well this morning and is concerned for him," Kuroko pushed the call button on his phone.

The phone buzzed and rang, the dial tone droning in Kuroko's ear while he waited for someone to pick up. However as time passed it seemed unlikely the brown-haired boy would answer and the call went to his voicemail. Kuroko sighed and hung up, quickly texting Akashi that he couldn't get a hold of him. Almost immediately, the red-haired teen on the other side of the line texted a reply with his thanks and that he'd keep looking for Furihata and to not worry as he would definitely find him.

Kagami looked over Kuroko's shoulder to the small lit up screen, reading the reply at the same time.

"Akashi-kun seems to be truly concerned, I think it's safe to leave Furihata-kun in his hands," Kuroko looked into the red-eyes above his, speaking out their shared thoughts.

He didn't like to admit it, but deep down Kagami knew that if their point guard was cared for by Rakuzan's caption, then he and Kuroko wouldn't have to worry. Akashi Seijuurou was a fearsome opponent but his overwhelming power would not tolerate harm to his precious ones.

"Dammit that Furihata, he didn't tell us he was feeling not up to it," Kagami gritted his teeth; the boy would be in for it when the rest of Seirin found out, especially coach.

Throughout the entire train trip, the air surrounding the duo was full of worry for their teammate, waiting for a phone call or text from the boy himself or Akashi as to his whereabouts and safety. Kuroko and Kagami breathed a sigh of relief when the message did arrive as soon as they exited the station, the shorter scrambling to his phone and flicking the screen open with deft fingers. The contents of the text were short and simple but enough to ease the worry on their faces. Typing back a quick reply, Kuroko latched himself onto Kagami's arm for the walk back to his house.

"It would shock the entire team. If they knew Furihata-kun was dating Akashi-kun," Kuroko mused, his body growing used to the warmth coming off the taller male.

"Wouldn't it be the same reaction to us?" Kagami asked honestly.

"No, not really. The majority of the team already has hints about us I think," Kuroko kept his straight face again, walking forward despite the jerk in his boyfriend's movements.

"The hell!? How did they pick up?" Kagami shouted in surprise, his sudden stop pulling Seirin's shadow to a stop as well.

Kuroko stared at Kagami's face, his cheeks tinted with the slightest of blushes, "Our senpai are quite observant and Kagami-kun is quite obvious despite trying not to be. Izuki-senpai asked me about the mark you left on my neck last week. He didn't wait for answer, but I think he already guessed."

Hearing that confession about being caught by Izuki made Kagami cough and choke on his own breath. Did Izuki really guess already? But then again their regular point guard was rather sharp at times when he wasn't cracking his jokes and annoying their captain.

"Then, if they already all know… does that mean I can be less secretive?" Kagami smirked, tugging Kuroko into his embrace and scrapping his teeth along the column of the shorter's neck.

Kuroko squirmed in his hold, the light blush much more obvious now. "I didn't say they all know…" he protested but secretly was hoping for something along the same lines.

Kagami snorted in response, spinning the smaller boy around in his arms and planting a solid kiss on the awaiting lips, "And that's probably only Fukuda and Kawahara right? They'll find out soon anyway."

"I like it when Kagami-kun's being all sweet," Kuroko eagerly kissed back to give the taller a taste before pulling back as a little tease.

Kagami was about to snake his hand around that waist again to turn the boy around and meet their lips again but Kuroko had already unlocked his front door, the warm lights from indoors flooding the steps outside. A sharp yip greeted the duo as Nigou padded outside to greet his owner, curly tail wagging back and forth.

"Geh!" Kagami jumped back a step or two, anything to get him away from the dog.

"Tetsuya? Welcome home! Is Kagami-kun with you?" Kuroko's mother gathered up the bundle of fur in her arms, holding the puppy close to her chest.

"I'm home mum. Yes, he is," Kuroko entered his house, taking off his shoes and lining them up in their rightful place with the other shoes at the front door.

"Kagami-kun, do you want to stay for dinner? I made curry~ Let's hope it can compare to the delicious curry you made for us last time," she smiled, ushering her son's teammate inside the house. "It's still a bit early, I'll call the two of you down for dinner when Papa comes home alright?"

Kagami managed to utter a polite greetings and thanks for having him over, following the mother and son into the spacious living room. Seeing Kuroko's grandmother by the garden outside the back door, Seirin's ace dropped her a greeting as well, bowing in respect to his elders.

"Ara! Kagami-kun!" her aged blue eyes lit up is pleasant joy, "How was your date?" she whispered into his ear, a mischievous glint in her eye.

Kagami went red in embarrassment. Just how many people knew? "It was incredible," he replied in the only way he knew to the older woman, simply and truthfully.

"Don't think I don't know now, nothing fools these old eyes," she chuckled, "Now go and enjoy your time before dinner together," waving him off, she turned back to her business, a content smile on her face. He grandson had found his important person and it didn't matter to her who it was, as long as they made her Kuroko smile.

"Kagami-kun, mum says your welcome to stay overnight as well, she enjoys having you over, " Kuroko came to collect his boyfriend, similarly greeting his grandmother before leading the red-haired teen to his bedroom upstairs.

"Is that okay?" Kagami himself didn't mind spending time in Kuroko's household. His own apartment was fine but today he wanted to spend more time with his boyfriend for no special reason at all.

"Yeah, besides, I'd like Kagami-kun to stay over tonight," Kuroko's eyes revealed his inner feelings despite the usual expressionless face.

"Alright then, thanks for letting me stay over," Kagami smirked, pulling Kuroko into the boy's bedroom, closing the door firmly while trapping the smaller boy in his arms. Wasting no time, he pressed a kiss to familiar lips for the millionth time since they started dating.

The simple press of lips quickly escalated into the heated battle of tongues. Kuroko let out a tiny whine, pushing against Kagami to move away from the door. Crossing the floor of the bedroom still held in a tight embrace, they collapsed onto the bed, a tangle of arms and legs. The fall broke their kiss, Kuroko finding himself laying on top of his boyfriend. Propping his head on the red-head's chest, Kuroko pressed his ear to the rhythm of the rise and fall of each breath, listening to the strong heartbeat underneath. Large hands wound around his waist to hold the smaller frame of Kuroko's body in place while slightly dry lips met his again for a brief moment. Kuroko shivered slightly as Kagami's hands, still cold from being outside, closed around the bare skin of his waist, his shirt having been pulled up a bit from the fall.

"I can still taste it," Kagami suddenly spoke, his voice close to Kuroko's ear, "I can still taste the vanilla waffles."

"Is that so?" Kuroko smiled gently, snuggling into Kagami's hold.

"Yeah…I can."


End file.
